The Red Raiders plan to convert Johnson from throwing passes to catching them and put him at inside receiver for spring practice, Tech assistant coach Dana Holgorsen said late Monday.

"We're going to stick him there, because that's where we have the least amount of bodies right now," said Holgorsen, who coaches the inside receivers. "He could play all four (receiver spots). The initial thought is we're getting him as close to the quarterback as we can to get him the ball, because he's fantastic with the ball in his hands."

Johnson

Johnson had a rocky redshirt year in 2004. He began the season threatening to quit the team after not getting the starting quarterback job and ended it suspended for the final few weeks by head coach Mike Leach.

Leach no longer will consider Johnson to play quarterback, perhaps not trusting his demeanor after the events of the fall, but the Raiders will try to find a way to plug his speed and athletic ability into the offense.

Holgorsen envisions redshirt freshman L.A. Reed and Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 207-pound junior, competing for the "Y" inside receiver job. That's the spot that Mickey Peters held down from 2001-03 and Trey Haverty occupied this year.

"That's our biggest gap is at 'Y,' " Holgorsen said. "We're going to stick Robert Johnson there initially, let Robert and L.A. compete and find out which of those guys is ready to step up and be the next Trey Haverty."

That's not a bad thing to be, if either are up to it. Haverty caught a team-leading 77 passes for 1,019 yards and six touchdowns.

At "H" inside receiver, Tech will have sophomore Danny Amendola backed by redshirt freshman Eric Morris from Shallowater. Morris got hurt just before preseason workouts started, then returned full speed to practices in the final month of the season.

"Eric Morris had a tremendous month of December, and he will give Danny everything he's got," Holgorsen said. "They're best friends, but that's not going to hold Eric back from competing, and I expect him to push Danny to his limit there."

The Raiders have undergone some thinning out at the inside positions since the season ended. Brian Bishop transferred at mid-term to Texas A&M-Commerce, hoping to find a team on which he can start for his senior year.

Bishop had eight catches, 82 yards and a touchdown in 2004, playing in all 11 games and starting one.

Tight end Bristol Olomua is out for the spring because of academics. The Raiders are keeping their fingers crossed that Olomua can make it back for his senior season.

"I anticipate Bristol being back, which gives us another tremendous athlete at that 'Y' spot," Holgorsen said. "He's going to be behind the 8-ball again, because he's going to miss spring. It's the same thing as last year at this time. You can't count him out, just because he's a great athlete.

"He needs to become more consistent to get the snaps because his competition's better, but I hope he gets that accomplished."

L. Scott Mann

Reed

On plays that call for two tight ends or a tight end and a fullback, the Raiders plan to try 6-foot-3, 221-pound sophomore David Schaefer and 6-7, 285-pound newcomer Rylan Reed, a former Arkansas football signee who is returning to the game after four years in pro baseball.

A void exists for those packages in which the Raiders used seniors Clay McGuire and Joey Hawkins this season and McGuire and Preston Hartfield before that.

Schaefer, a former walk-on, was a first-team all-state tight end in high school playing for a Class 2A state champion at Cisco.

"We'll do the same stuff with him that we did with McGuire unless we can find somebody else," Holgorsen said. "We'd like to keep doing the same stuff we've been doing with Hawkins and McGuire as far as the tight ends go."

The Raiders are more settled on the outside. Jarrett Hicks and Brandon Douglas, both juniors, will return as the top two at split end, Tech's "X" position. Senior Cody Fuller and junior Joel Filani will return as the top two at flanker, Tech's "Z" position.

Fuller, a starting outfielder on the Tech baseball team, will be draft eligible in June. He indicated Tuesday, however, that it would take a lot to keep him from playing football next year.

"I don't know if (the decision) is going to be about getting drafted high or that kind of that thing," Fuller said. "It's got to be about what I want to do. ... The people in football are the reason why I'd be coming back more than anything that happens in baseball to tell you the truth, because I love playing for those guys, especially (receivers coaches Sonny Dykes and Holgorsen).

"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be (back)."

Coaches plan to try freshman Todd Walker, who enrolled this week at mid-term, as an outside receiver, and the other returnees include redshirt freshman Anthony Jenkins and junior Marquis Johnson.

Jenkins worked at both split end and flanker during the fall. Dykes said during workouts prior to the Holiday Bowl that Jenkins appeared more comfortable at flanker.